Karaganda: Red Mafia (2025)

[bunniefuu]

- Dig.

- Hey.

- Hi.

One more?

- I think I've had enough.

- Vanya.

I got you a present.

- I'm intrigued.

Aren't you?

- I shouldn't take

all the credit.

Dima made the plates,

but it was my idea.

- It looks real,

I'll give you that.

But a real money

has a smell to it.

And this one smells

like a chemistry set.

- It's a one that was bleached,

and then a 100

was printed on it.

- Clever.

- Not clever enough.

Look at the words,

"In God We Trust."

They're blurry.

- It's hard to tell, really.

- If I can tell,

so can anyone else.

And it's not very

bright in here.

- I thought maybe you'd like it.

- What can you give a

man who has everything?

- All I want in life

is to keep my promises.

Mm.

- Marat got an A

on his math test.

Can you say something to him?

- Mm-hmm.

- Daddy!

- Anyachka!

Mm.

- Have you seen the

dill outside, Dad?

It's up to my knees.

- I told you, you

have to thin them out.

- Here we go again.

Marat, you'll be late!

- I told you, you had to

thin them out a little,

not k*ll them, mm.

How's Pasha?

- Hungry.

- That's a healthy sign.

Pancakes?

May I please have one?

- Horses eat oats, not pancakes.

- Horses eat oats.

When did you get so smart?

- Hey, Dad.

- Morning, Marat.

- Dad, where were you?

- Working.

Congrats on your test,

I'm proud of you.

- I made your favorite, Marat.

- Working, where?

- In California.

Your food's getting cold, eat.

- Dad, I know California.

The teacher taught us in school.

Alabama, Arizona, Alaska,

Arkansas, California

- That's okay, Marat.

I don't have to

hear all 50 states.

How are things at the hospital?

- I may have to work a

double shift this weekend.

Another nurse is

getting married.

- Can't they find someone else?

- Mm.

I don't like to disappoint

people that depend on me.

Eat guys!

Colorado,

Connecticut, Delaware

- The name Oceans

Import Export was my idea.

But you'll never hear

me say that to Vanya.

- Piece of sh*t!

- It's 10:30.

What the f*ck are you

doing here so early?

- We

started last night.

- We're celebrating Vanya's

birthday and we never stopped.

- Kirill, did you

sell those cigarettes yet?

- Almost.

- You need to get

your sh*t out of here today.

- I'm just waiting for Dima.

Dima is gonna put

stamps on them.

- I don't care what

Dima promised you.

Get your f*cking cigarettes

off our property.

- Okay, fine.

- Go.

Now!

My share of the red

shipments was 18%.

Of course, it didn't make a dime

but it was good for

laundering money.

- OJ Simpson pleaded not

guilty in Los Angeles today,

stating for the record

that he was, quote,

"100% not guilty."

- Good morning,

Vladimir Abramovich.

Coffee?

- Please.

- Standing

along side him

was the legendary

lawyer F. Lee Bailey.

- Here you are.

- Thank you.

- Absolutely,

100% not guilty.

- My share of

the black shipments was 25%.

I don't need to explain

how much money it made me.

- Vlad?

You scared me.

- Pretend as

if I'm not here, Dima.

- Well, how did Vanya take it?

- He thought it was

interesting.

- "Interesting"?

- Mm-hm.

- What does that mean?

Either he liked it or he didn't.

- He said it didn't smell right.

- I didn't take a perfume course

at the Moscow Art Academy,

so you may be on your

own with this one.

- You know, if you try

to fake a dollar bill,

the Secret Service

comes after you.

It's just not worth it.

- Monya, I can think of plenty

of places around the world

that don't have

a secret service.

- Who would be dumb enough?

- So what'd you get

your uncle, huh?

A $100 f*cking tie?

- I got him a hooker.

- Mm.

- But he already happened to

have a date for the night,

so I played with her myself.

- You're a mensch, Monya.

A mensch.

- By the way, did you

tell that putz, Kirill?

- Cigarettes

are coming out as we speak.

- And the chocolate?

- No one is gonna ask questions

about a warehouse

full of chocolate.

- Vlad!

Vlad, listen.

That putz!

Listen, I wanna talk

to you about something.

- What?

- What do you think

of this color?

For the bathrooms.

- Bathrooms?

- Babushka's.

- Babushka's?

Monya, what are

you talking about?

- The club, you

dumbass, the club.

I didn't mean that, Vlad.

Listen, I just.

I was hoping to get your

opinion on this one.

Leprechaun green.

- Leprechaun green?

Reminds me of a police officer.

- Funny.

- Why are you asking me this?

I told you I don't wanna be

a part of your nightclub.

- I know.

- I told you another

club is more heat.

Your uncle has one already.

- Yeah, and you

already said that.

- Well, so why are

you asking me this?

- I was just hoping to

get your opinion and,

it seems your not

a fan of the color.

- I thought you'd

be in late today,

or not at all.

- There's some bad news.

- You got the A*DS virus

from that hooker last night?

- Worse.

- Oh, you fell in love with

the hooker from last night?

- There's a problem just came

up with one of our shipments.

- I'll send Kirill or

Armen to take care of it.

- One of our black shipments.

I need to send

someone to Russia.

There's an officer in there,

who thinks he's clever.

- Me?

I got my club opening

in three weeks.

I'm f*cking knee-deep

in paperwork.

- I didn't say I was

going to send you.

Well.

- What would you have me do?

- Print up some of

that Monopoly money

you and Dima have

been working on.

Spread it around.

But don't be too generous,

or they will start

asking questions.

- Why me?

- I need to send

someone with authority.

Our pilot is threatening to

leave without the shipment.

You need to leave quick

and sort it all out.

- Why don't you

pull some strings?

Make one of your puppets dance.

- You ever read the Bible, Vlad?

I mean not the Old

Testament, the new one.

There's a story in there,

when Satan asks Jesus,

"If you're the Son of God,

why don't you jump off

a cliff and show us?"

And you know what Jesus said?

- "You shall not put the

Lord, your God, to the test."

- And who said the Jews

don't read the Bible?

Mm.

- Did you tell them

about our vacation?

- You know, I couldn't

say something like that.

- Why didn't you?

Maybe they could have

sent someone else.

- I'll be back by Monday, Elena.

- Where are you going?

- To Russia.

There's a problem with

a shipment.

- Russia?

Don't put your life in danger.

- It's nothing.

Just a misunderstanding.

Nothing to worry about.

- Why do I wish you had lied

and said you were

going to California?

Wait, don't break

the superstition.

- Who the hell are these guys?

- They probably

just wanna check

if our seatbelts are fastened.

- Why didn't you pay me?

- I've already paid

your associates.

- Those were

federal authorities.

We represent the

local authorities.

- We are from Golyanovo.

- Oh, wow.

How is it that I've never

heard of you before?

- 1986 Wrestling

Championship, Budapest.

Gold medal.

100 million people watch.

1987 Wrestling Championship.

France.

Gold medal.

120 million people watched.

1988 Olympics South Korea.

Silver medal.

One billion people watch.

And you've never heard of me?

- If you let us go,

I'll give you $730,000.

- Why that amount?

- Because that's how

many $100 bills fits

inside a standard Samsonite

Attache briefcase.

- Mm.

You're free to go.

- You're welcome.

- Don't run, act natural.

How soon can we be ready?

- 10 minutes,

to warm up the engines.

- Make it five.

- I can't believe that worked.

Those f*cking morons.

- Kostyanko!

Take a look at this.

The numbers are the same.

- Let's go!

- I thought you said

we're supposed to act natural.

- Can this plane fly with holes?

- I've never tried.

- We need to take

off, immediately.

- What we need to do is to

get to the end of the runway

so we can turn around.

- Tell me we have a

machine g*n here somewhere.

- Of course.

This is a Russian plane.

- Let's get go it!

- Raise the ramp.

Raise the ramp!

- The Moscow Fire Department

said it was a firebomb.

One of our guys made it out.

Raffi, the Armenian.

But the rest were

trapped inside.

This is what's left of our

office in Yekaterinburg.

Somehow they got

into the basement.

So far, they haven't been

able to identify the bodies.

So, maybe some of our

employees are still alive.

I haven't heard a

word from anyone.

St. Petersburg.

The b*mb didn't go off,

but that same afternoon

there was a g*n battle.

No survivors, unfortunately.

- Who the f*ck would do this?

- There is only one organization

that disrespects our territory,

the Golyanovo.

- Why now?

Why us?

- Vlad?

- We blew up their airport,

spread a lot of

fake money around,

and this is their response.

- I say we put their

heads on spike.

If need be.

Their girlfriends too.

- And then what?

Huh?

- Why do we need these

offices for anyway?

I thought these people were

just our paper pushers.

- How would you expect to

run and import export company

without anyone to

import or export to?

- You think your f*cking

cigarettes keep the lights on

in this place?

Our entire profit is based

on the black shipments.

The ones that don't even

step foot in New York.

- Relax!

Brothers.

We have a plan.

- This is Lublinskaya

organizatsiya.

They control banks,

shipping lines,

and some night clubs.

Most importantly,

they are well represented

in the Russian government.

- And you trust these people?

- I knew their leader,

Pasha Ivanov, in Perm.

When you are as big as we are,

you need an even bigger roof.

- More partners means

more mouths to feed.

- Did I accuse anyone

here of starting this w*r?

I only ask if one

of us makes a mess

that person helps clean it up.

In two weeks, the leaders of

the Lubslinskaya organisatsiya

are traveling to the US as

part of the Yeltsin delegation.

They wish to make an agreement.

- Since this regards the

use of our obshak funds,

it's only fair we take a vote.

All in favor.

- You don't

k*ll the king with a vote.

- Some guys came

looking for you.

- Who?

- I don't know.

Russian guys.

They were wearing pointy shoes.

You know, the kind of

where the toes curl upward?

- What'd you tell them?

- I told them to get new shoes.

- Dig.

- Never been hit

with a shovel before.

- You should have

shot him sooner.

- I wanted to see the look

on your face.

- How did you find me?

- After you blew up the airport,

everyone blamed Kostyanko.

He was toast.

And the Golyanovo

ordered it that way.

But Kostyanko thought

he had one more shot

at getting his spot back

if he could find you.

So I told him I knew

you and wanted revenge

for when you tried to

k*ll me in Karaganda.

- He believed that?

So, now you're a gangster?

- Mm, businessman.

You?

- Also a businessman.

- Mm-hm.

- Tell me what happened to

you after I last saw you?

- Your plan

didn't work.

In '91, Gorbachev

gave an amnesty,

became a free man.

Went looking for work, but,

well, there was only one

kind of job available so.

- How long do you

plan to stay here?

- Oh, I like America.

I hear you have something

called warning shots?

Is that true?

- You kidding?

- So.

How about you?

Is your wife Elena in America?

- No.

- It's a long ride.

Tell me what happened.

Ah.

- I was earning

500 rubles a month,

selling boatloads of

televisions on the black market,

using the connections

I had made in the army.

It wasn't really the

clothes or the girls

or the fact that I always knew

how to get a brand new TV.

I just knew I was a

little more clever at it

than other people.

- And lucky too.

- Happy Anniversary.

- Happy Anniversary.

- I was gonna wrap it,

but it was too big.

- It's really big.

- Mm-hmm.

I wanted the best.

- I was happy with the old

one, but this one is nice too.

- I know you always

said you wanted to see

what life is like

in other countries,

now you can see it in color.

- Where did you get it from?

- You don't like it?

- I didn't say that.

- When your

mom fed you dinner,

did you always ask her

where the food came from?

- Only when it tasted funny.

- You're too smart for me.

- Aren't you gonna

ask me what I got you?

- Oh.

- Ooh.

Ooh.

- I always knew there's

something up there.

It's, it's wonderful.

- Mm, it's not a color TV.

- It's great.

I love pineapples.

- First time we met, you

said I was like a pineapple.

Tough on the outside,

but sweet on the inside.

Remember?

- I seem to remember

a line from Lermontov,

but I suppose I said that too.

- I took all

your corny poetry.

- Mm.

- Mm-hmm.

And put it into a can.

- Mm.

- To be honest, I didn't

know what to get a man

who has no trouble

getting anything.

- I love it.

- Happy Anniversary.

- Happy Anniversary.

- How are things

at the hospital?

How's Andrei, the drunk,

with the broken arms?

- Oh.

I lit a pack's worth of

cigarettes for him today.

So, I'm not sure he's

getting any better.

Mm.

Um, remember one of

the nurses, um, Marina?

- Vaguely.

- You know the one

with, uh, two kids,

and the engineer husband, Pasha.

- Mm, now, I remember.

- She handed in her

resignation papers today.

She and her family

are moving to America.

- And?

- She applied to the

resettlement program for Jews.

The one that I showed

you in Pravda, remember?

I guess she won a visa.

- I told you, this program

gives out 10 or 20 visas a year

to satisfy the Americans.

The rest have a bull's

eye put on them.

Not for me.

Especially

considering what I do.

My partner has a fishing

boat on the Black Sea.

Who knows maybe.

If I sell enough of these TVs,

we can jump in the boat

and paddle to America, huh?

Elenachka?

Sorry.

Can we not think about it today?

- Okay.

- I was gonna get a bigger TV,

but then I thought

you might be worried

that people will think

we don't read any books.

- You're right,

I would have thought that.

- Mm-hm.

- What does Masha want now?

Oh, God.

Just tell her we're out of

everything she'll go away.

- She's older, be nice to her.

Who is it?

- Masha.

- Vladimir Abramovich

Bernshtein.

- It took

the court only an hour

to hand me a 10-year sentence.

Elena got the same.

- I got a joke, wanna hear it?

- No, not really.

- It's funny.

- Tell it.

- So the optimist and the

pessimist are standing

in line one day for bread.

The pessimist says, "Things

can't get any worse."

The optimist says,

"Yes, they can."

- That's funny.

- What's the matter?

You don't think that's funny?

- You're telling so many

jokes, we'll miss our quota.

And then we'll drop

down to a 7B ration.

- Are you an idiot?

We're building a

punishment block,

sooner we finish this,

the sooner they'll have

a new place to beat us.

I got one you'll like.

The International

Space Convention.

- He'll

never make it.

- He'll make it.

Vornin is fast, he

can outrun anyone.

Vronin could've

won the Olympics.

He'll make it.

- He's got no supplies.

There's nowhere to run.

- You'll see, Volodya, let's

just your Jew mind thinking.

Run!

Don't look back.

- He must have made it by now.

- Well, at least he'll give

the guards some trouble.

- You know that means,

we have to do his share.

- You see, he made it.

- Are you a dissident?

- No.

- I thought all Jews

were dissidents.

Who's that girl?

That picture you're

always looking at?

- No one.

- Ah, Jewish girl, huh?

- What?

- Show me.

Show me, show me.

- Okay.

Don't touch.

- Not bad.

- Not bad?

- The beautiful

ones are always trouble, huh?

- No, she was good to me.

Real nice.

For our last anniversary, she

gave me a can of pineapples.

- You could get pineapples on

any street corner in Moscow.

- Not in Kishinev.

You've never seen a woman

with eyes like this.

- I have.

Her name was Ludmila,

ballet dancer at Gorky Theater.

I used to steal necklaces on

the bus and give them to her.

- So you're a thief?

- Pickpocket.

- Same thing.

- And you?

- Smuggler.

- Well, I can't see the

point of being a smuggler.

What's there to

smuggle these days?

And from where?

- A good television's

worth a lot more

than anything you can find

in someone else's pockets.

- First night of

Ramadan tonight.

- What?

- For the Chechens.

And they like to beat

up Jews on Ramadan.

- What are you looking at?

- Tell me,

how come the Vors have so

much power in this camp?

- How come they call this soup?

- I'm serious.

- I know what you

really wanna ask me.

The answer's no.

They'll never let you join them.

- Because I'm a Jew?

- Because you haven't

k*lled anyone.

- Yet.

- Tell me how to join the Vors,

and I'll give you

medicine for your hand.

- From where?

- This bread has been

underneath my bed for a week.

- It's penicillin.

It'll keep you from

getting amputated.

Take it for a week.

- Chechens.

- Give us your jacket.

- No.

- You're

not going to be able

to get your jacket back,

those men will k*ll you.

- If I don't get a

jacket by October,

I'm dead anyway.

- I got a friend that

works in Transport.

He'll probably get you a new

jacket off the next train.

I know why you want that jacket.

You don't need that picture.

- You don't understand.

When I got arrested,

they took my wife too.

Said she had to have known

the TV wasn't Russian.

The picture's the

only way to find her.

- Say your name.

- Bernstein.

Vladimir Bernstein.

- Say your name for us.

- Aleksei Rukov.

- Don't think I'll

hesitate to kick your a*s.

- I'll be fine.

- You haven't won until

Grusinin says you have.

Don't stop fighting until then.

- I was in the boxing team

when I studied in Leningrad.

You fight pretty

well for an amateur.

But, I mean, you're not

the boxer that Vronin was.

- You're an as*h*le, Aleksei.

- Don't you get it?

I got in that fight

to save your life.

Anybody else would have

k*lled you for being a Jew.

The bread you gave

me saved my hand.

I wanted to repay the favor.

- You know what I

want you to tell me.

- The Vors are

worse than animals.

Can't let that happen to you.

- A letter came yesterday

from my mother-in-law.

Elena is in a prison camp

in Karaganda region.

Lagpunkt 84.

A woman's camp.

- You think the Vors

will help you find her?

You wanna join the Vors?

I'll tell you what I know.

First thing you'll

have to do is,

get a little creative

about your past.

- I'm sorry.

- Grusinin wants to see you.

- And if I say no.

- You won't say no.

- You look smaller

than I remembered.

Come in, have a seat.

You hungry?

Want some sugar?

- Yes.

- When I was in Kolyma,

they gave us our sugar

ration once a month.

We got it in handfuls.

Ate it so fast, we choked on it.

Called it, Sugar Day.

Here, drink some chifir.

I heard you're a smuggler.

- On occasion.

- It'll be a long time

before you smuggle again.

Do you have enough books to

keep you from getting bored?

- What do you want from me?

- What would you

have to give me?

I wanna give you an opportunity.

What you did to those

beasts impressed me.

Same as I'm impressed

when the guards bring

me a female prisoner

I haven't f*cked yet.

- Who are you?

- We're the closest to

what most people mean

when they think of Anarchists.

But our rules matter more to us

than Lenin does to the party.

The Soviet Union

will only last for

another 10 years at most.

Everything will be in

our hands after that.

- And you plan to run

Russia from these barracks?

- When the crow dies,

it will be safer here

than in the Kremlin.

To join us, you must go

before the other Vors.

If you answer their

questions incorrectly,

they will k*ll you.

Do you agree?

- I only

ask for one thing.

- Brothers,

tonight we're going to

decide if Vladimir Bernstein

is honorable enough

to join our ranks.

Give us a brief account

of your life and exploits.

- I was raised in an

orphanage in Kishinev.

By age 11, I had

my own street g*ng.

We used to run

through the markets

and take whatever we could

while one of us

made a distraction.

By 21, I had my own

smuggling racket.

- What did you smuggle?

- Televisions and radios,

from Germany and Italy

for the black market.

- Later I shipped out heroin

through Odessa on a fishing boat

to Greece and Italy.

I had a connection

in the Caucasus.

- But how

did they catch you?

- They ratted me out.

I used to cut the tongues out

of men who spoke too much.

- But it's not enough to

know how to smuggle heroin.

- You are Jew, no?

- Yes.

- All the Bolsheviks were Jews.

- When I hear the word

Bolshevik, I reach for my knife.

- A man after my own heart.

I don't trust a Jew.

- I only believe in what

I see and what I can take.

- You see?

- Do you know our laws?

- Yes.

- Begin.

- In three years,

I had contributed

enough to the obshak

to force Grusinin to make

a deal with the guards.

- 2B ration.

But the quota is still the same.

- Orders from Moscow.

- Look at these suckers.

- Fish for the bear.

You get sleep at your new job?

- Enough.

-Quota two tons.

- Package came for you.

- What package?

Forgive me.

This was the only way.

- I'm happy just

to see you again.

Oh, God.

Volodya.

- Are you okay?

- Yeah.

I'll survive.

- Got you something.

It's not much.

Mm.

I was gonna read

from Evgeniy Onegin

then I figured the

timing might be wrong.

- You always know the right

words for every occasion.

- Maybe the only

thing I'm good at.

- It's perfect.

I'll savor every bite.

How did you find me?

- I gave them your picture.

What's wrong?

- He forced me to do things.

Terrible things.

- Who?

- I don't know his name,

but he had a tattoo.

A cat tattoo on his hand.

What now?

- Eat those

pineapples, Elenachka.

Let their sweetness bring

you back to life, huh?

Try and remember our apartment.

The window looking

out at the park.

The sound the kettle made

when the water boiled, huh?

The smell of the car

we used to drive.

Try and make your mind

forget everything that

happened between then and now.

- How, Volodya?

How?

- You must, Elena.

You must.

- Vlad.

- Someone get

your cigarettes today?

- I'm hurt badly, Volodya,

I think I broke something.

- Let me help you.

Dr. Adler, this man needs

immediate medical attention.

Get him the morphine.

- Three rubles for the obshak.

- We'll deal you

in the next hand.

- Tell me joke.

- No more jokes, let's play.

- I got one.

What's the difference between

capitalism and socialism?

In capitalism,

man exploits man.

In socialism, it's the reverse.

- Funny.

Not as funny as the

joke about the Armenian,

but still funny.

- I can't keep telling jokes

about Armenians all the time.

- See?

Man exploits man.

What's the news, Father?

- The guards tell me

that there's been a syphilis

outbreak in Lagpunkt 19.

It may take time but it

will land here no doubt.

- Is that a piece of advice

or some encouragement?

- Take it how you like.

- Oh, uh, I got

another one fellows.

Uh, just remembered,

it's about two prisoners

at the Mongolian border.

Siroga and Peter.

And if you don't laugh,

I'll cut your eyes out.

So the two prisoners.

- Whatever debt you

think I still owe you

this should repay it.

- Oh, I'd say we're

almost even.

Hey, tell me, Volodya,

did they help you find Elena?

- They found her.

It was not what I expected.

- What happened?

You should make a run for it.

- Like Sherdenko and Vronin?

- Not like Sherdenko and Vronin.

- I can tell what you're

planning and I'm not interested.

- Kotov and I have been

drying bread in our

barracks for weeks now.

We almost saved a kilo.

- No, thanks.

- Well, if you're not coming

with us, at least help us.

- How?

- You could

distract the guards.

- With what?

Jokes?

- I don't know.

Bribe them.

- If you escape,

the guards get in trouble.

That means the Vors

get in trouble.

I can't help you.

It's a death wish.

You shouldn't have told me.

- So now that you're a Vor,

you never wanna

leave this place?

Tell me, Volodya, what

happened to Elena?

Was she hurt?

I mean, don't you want

revenge against these animals?

Maybe there's a way we

can help each other.

- If you want more supplies,

you need to pay in blood.

- Why do I feel like

you're letting me win?

- Why don't you ask me

at the end of the game?

- If you're gonna

play like an imbecile,

I'd rather play myself.

- Father, I came to ask a favor,

the prisoner I fought,

Aleksei Rukov.

He's spreading lies

all over the camp.

- I remember him.

- I'd like to

settle his account.

- You'll have your wish tonight.

- What, you're gonna

make a run for it

during the work shift?

- How'd you guess?

- So, you think you're faster

than Sherdenko and Vronin?

- The important thing is

that we have supplies.

And I thank you for that.

- You'll get k*lled, Aleksei.

- What would you have us do?

Wait here for the

rest of our lives?

Covered our bodies

with words that say,

"Hey, I don't give

a sh*t if I leave."

Hey, maybe you can.

I can't take another

minute in this place.

- Get Kotov to take

the shift in the woods,

cross the river and rip a

piece of your shirt off.

It will cause the dogs to lead

the guards to the other side.

If you jump back in the

river and swim downstream,

you might get a

couple of kilometers

before they figure it out.

- Always so clever, Volodya.

- Better to be

lucky than clever.

Wait.

Take it.

I'm going to cooler for this.

If I don't make it out, you'll

be the only left to find her.

I know you'll make it.

After that, they threw

me in the cooler.

I got out when the Americans

forced the Soviet Union

to allow the Jews to emigrate.

I never saw Elena again.

- I'm sorry to hear that.

I know she meant a lot to you.

- Why do I have a feeling

you're gonna ask me for a job?

- Huh?

Everyone comes here now

that Rasputin got raided.

Vanya holds court in the

back 4 am every other Sunday.

And if a woman asks

you for a cigarette,

she's not asking

for a cigarette.

- Cigarette?

- This is Lyosha.

- Aleksei Rukov.

- Pleasure.

- This guy likes to dress

up like a police officer

and rob people.

No amount of convincing can

make him put a stop to it.

- Just like in the Russia.

- Kirill, Armen.

Armen, Kirill, Aleksei.

A good friend of mine.

- If you want any cigarettes

come straight to me.

I'll get you a lifetime supply.

- Armen has a device

that can make any slot

machine hit jackpot.

Really nice, you

should check out.

- Built the thing myself.

- A radio transmitter?

- Something like that.

But you got to pay

me to find out.

You know.

- Yeah, let me guess.

You're just one jackpot

away from a decent suit?

- What the f*ck does that mean?

- Oh, I'm just kidding,

I'll buy you a drink.

- We'll be back, we'll be back.

What are you doing?

- Stolichnaya?

- Please.

- Take it to Monya's table?

- Will do.

- The women.

Incredible.

Been meaning to ask.

You know a good

immigration lawyer?

Preferably one that

doesn't have mafia stamped

on his forehead in big letters.

- I got a guy.

I'll write down

the number for you.

Be nice.

Normal.

Monya Polinsky.

- Aleksei.

- Nice to meet you.

- And this is.

- Nastya Petrova.

- Aleksei Rukov.

- Monya is a business partner.

- In what?

- Import, export.

- You'll have to show me.

- Sure.

I'll give you a tour.

- And how do you

two know each other?

- Karaganda.

- To friends,

old and new.

- To friendship.

- To friendship.

- To friendship.

- How's my, uh, request going?

- I'm working on it.

- I feel like I know

you from somewhere.

You used to drive a taxi

in Moscow, didn't you?

- Don't know me.

- No, no, no, no, um.

You once drove me around town,

pointing out every casino

where the prostit*tes hang out.

- You're right.

Maybe that was me.

- And where are

you from, Aleksei?

- Well, that depends

on what you mean.

I was born in Moscow, went

to university in Leningrad.

- University?

- You think it's strange for a

man to be handsome and smart?

I wonder why.

- And how did you end

up in Brighton Beach?

- That's one of those stories,

better left for the campfire

than in front of

a beautiful woman.

- Why is it that single guys

are always the biggest

experts on women?

- Just the guy that likes

to have a good time.

No reason to feel

threatened by it.

- Tell me, you always

so good at making friends?

- Waitress a friend of yours?

- No.

She's all yours.

- All night, people came

to me with complaints.

All night, they said,

"Vanya, why are

the potatoes cold?"

"Vanya, why does your staff

never clean the ashtrays?"

"Vanya, why the toilets

in the bathroom not work?"

Tonight, I was ashamed to be

the owner of this restaurant.

Who made the kutleti?

Was it you?

- Not me.

- It was you, wasn't it?

- I made the

soup and the appetizers.

I didn't touch the meat.

- Vanya, a word in private?

I wanna introduce to you

a friend, Aleksei Rukov.

We were in Karaganda together.

- In Karaganda?

- We started out in

the same work brigade.

He has many talents.

- I'm good at keeping secrets.

Listen, Vanya,

I respect who you are.

And I respect what you do.

Actually, Vladimir didn't

tell me what to do,

but I want to work for you.

If you'll give me the chance,

I'll prove to be the most loyal

and honest worker you ever had.

- And you two ran into each

other in Brighton Beach,

just like that?

- Like two geese at the pond.

- I told you we

might have something.

- We're not hiring.

- He helped us deal

with Kostyanko.

The one from the airport.

- I'm not a picky man, Father.

Please.

I need this.

- Give us a moment.

From Karaganda?

And you never mentioned

this friend before.

- I never thought

I'd see him again.

- This brother of mine was dead.

And he's alive again, for he

was lost, but now he's found.

- I know how it looks.

- Mm.

- But I trust him like a

wolf trusts his own tail.

- If he wants to work

on the red shipments,

you can hire him

out of your end,

but not the black ones.

Not at least until I say so.

- You won't be disappointed.

- I know.

- Not so bad.

Let's get the ones in the back.

Volodya?

Came down to eat with the plebs?

- Just a smoke.

- What's happening?

- A group of American

senators are demanding

that all Russian Jews

be allowed to immigrate.

- I don't understand.

- We're sending them the

worst Jews we can find.

- Volodya, what's happening?

- Your exit passports.

- I'm sorry.

- I know.

- You never have to

think of that man again.

- I, um.

- What?

- I'm.

I'm also sorry.

- Don't be, huh?

He died a painful death.

I didn't wanna hear that.

- I wanted you to know.

Tell me you forgive me.

- For what?

- For all of this.

Tell me you forgive me.

- I will.

- From Karaganda?

- And who are you?

- Ivan Polinsky.

They call me Vanya.

- Vladimir Bernstein.

- I know who you are.

- I told the aid

workers in HIAS to

let me know if anyone came

through with Vor tattoos.

I guess they never

gave you my number.

- Where did you

dance to the music?

- 18 years in Perm for m*rder.

Pray tell how a Vor like

yourself is being useful.

- Before prison

I was a smuggler.

- Mm.

- What's there to smuggle

now that you can buy anything

on the open market?

- Not everything.

- How do

you make your money?

- I took what the

Jewish charities gave me

to open an obshak with

my kid nephew, Monya.

- Mm.

- But now, I'm just a roof

over some smaller operations.

Mainly in the gasoline business.

- Gas?

- We pocket the taxes and bury

the government in paperwork.

I wanted to ask you

to come work for me.

But I know,

I shouldn't have to.

- Oh, yeah?

- Vor must forget his family.

His only family

are his brothers.

- We have

to leave tonight.

- Where?

- I don't know.

Anywhere.

Just not here.

- Um, we can't do that.

- I ran into a Vor.

So I was thinking, we'll go

to the train station. Tonight.

And see what options

there are, hm?

Come on, let's

go, I'll help you.

- I could give birth at

any minute, Vladimir.

- I don't understand.

You still have two months, mm?

Hey.

- I wanted to tell you.

I knew.

I knew I had to tell you.

- You could have told

me from the start.

We could have done

something then.

- I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

You have no right to come here.

- Sometimes I need to

pray just like you.

Where are the kids?

- Slumber party.

What are you thinking?

- I'm tired of pretending

to be Marat's father.

I can't keep lying to him.

- Do you remember

when we brought him

home from the hospital?

I remember

how hard it was to

breastfeed, how much it hurt.

I remember sitting

awake at night,

and the thoughts I had

looked into his eyes.

I only saw the face of

the man who abused me.

I remember I wanted

to take a pill,

and end his life

as revenge against

the one who hurt me.

But I couldn't.

I told myself

I would love him someday.

And I was right.

The only way I can forgive you

for what happened in Karaganda

is if you keep on

being Marat's father.

- Okay.

I promise you.

- Don't promise.

I remember the promises you made

when we came to this country.

- Some promises

take longer than others.

- Now I'm gonna have bad dreams

because of this conversation.

Good night.

- Good night.

- Tonight's news, Russian

President Boris Yeltsin

joined other leaders of

the United Nations today

on the occasion of

the organization on

the 50th anniversary.

- Did you hear what

happen to.

- No.

- He was so drunk, he left his

hotel room in his underwear

and went searching for a pizza.

- I don't believe that sh*t.

- So?

He likes pizza, so

what's the big deal guys?

Leave him alone.

- I read it in the paper,

he was in D.C.,

and the secret service

was chasing him.

- f*ck that.

The Jews are on the

newspapers, no offense.

- So, you think the

Jews made it all up?

- It's just the part about

being in his underwear.

Everywhere you go,

you're technically in

your underwear, right?

So, they f*cking twisted it.

- And this is the government

we are partnering with.

- These f*cking Jews.

We never show him

playing tennis, not once.

- At least another

house on the property.

It's nothing.

- And the checkpoint

will be there.

- One of our guys,

one of theirs.

- What about the parking?

- My plan was to

shuttle our guys in,

less of a footprint.

- Huh?

You thought of everything.

And what about the house?

Did you check it for bugs?

- I haven't yet.

- Get your signal checker.

By the way, I thought about it.

I like leprechaun green.

Maybe it'll give us some luck.

- Are you saying what

I think you're saying?

- Vanya want some word.

Alone.

- Oh.

It's good that we

talked.

- Your nephew, Monya,

wants to become a Vor.

He wants to schedule

an Approach.

- There is some other business.

Our partners in

Lublinskaya organizatsiya

say that your friend Aleksei

is a member of Golyanovo.

That he was sent here to

disrupt our operations.

- He told me he left Golyanovo.

- So you knew.

Our contact tells us if

Aleksei managed to get visas

for some members of his g*ng.

Did he tell you

anything about this?

- No.

- I tried to work

it out with them,

but there was only one thing

that could satisfy them.

I'm asking you,

Vladimir Abramovich,

to be the one to

settle the account.

- He's my friend, Vanya.

- Mm.

- When I was in Perm,

another Vor bet the watch

of a dissident and lost.

But before the Vor

could collect the watch,

the dissident was

sent to another camp,

so the Vor could not

collect his debt.

The council met to

discuss his punishment.

I wanted to cut two fingers,

but the other Vors on

the council thought

that wasn't enough.

They wanted to cut

the whole hand.

So, we bargained for a while,

and then we agreed on three.

After that, I was

called The Generous One.

- I can't do it, Vanya, not me.

- I know you have a family

you brought with you

from Karaganda.

I kept that quiet

all this time.

Not my business.

But now, you're putting me

in an uncomfortable position.

- Please, Vanya, not this one.

- I will settle this one myself.

Bring him tomorrow.

You, him and I,

we will discuss.

- Jury selection began today

in the OJ Simpson trial

for the alleged

m*rder of Ron Goldman

and Nicole Brown Simpson.

This comes after nearly a

six-week search involving

over 300 potential jurors.

Authorities are saying

they wanna make sure that-

- Ride with me today, ready?

- Decided by a jury of this.

- The only thing I didn't

like about

was the cooking.

Ugh, she made the

borsht so salty

I had to chase it

down with three beers.

I have something for you.

I was gonna give

this to you earlier,

but you told me she was dead.

Didn't wanna ruin the moment.

I'm sorry you never

found her, Volodya.

- Give me my g*n back.

- Can't do that.

It's a very bad day for

your business, Volodya.

You're about to

lose some employees.

- You can trust me.

- I trust you.

Insurance, keep working.

- I lied, Aleksei,

my wife is with me.

We made it out of

Karaganda together.

Hope you meet her someday.

I have a family in

defiance of the Vor's law.

I didn't want this life

in America, Aleksei,

it found me.

Where does this leave us?

- I thought you just

said you wanted out.

- You're right.

To go inside, get something.

- You don't wanna

go back in there.

A lot of your old friends

don't have the same

faces they're used to.

- I have to get a key on Vanya.

It opens his safe with

our obshak inside.

- I'll come with you.

- Sorry, boss.

- Good God.

I got something in my shoe.

- Give me that knife.

- Aleksei.

- It'll be okay,

Volodya.

- You'd be okay, Aleksei.

I wanted to throw

it in the river.

I wanted to leave it all behind.

But then I knew I had been

given it for a reason.

- Volodya.

Are you hurt?

- No.

- What's in the bag?

- It's our anniversary present.

- It's not our anniversary.

- I was gonna put it in the

closet and save it until then.

- I don't like this.

- A promise is a promise.

This is what it took.

- Okay.

Okay.

I believe you.

- It's over.

It's over.